Reggie Perrin (TV Series 2009– ) - IMDb IMDb 16 December 2016 11:32 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Reggie Perrin has a cushy job as head of innovation in a men's body care products firm, but philosophically hates meaningless office life. He's equally unhappy with commuting, his dull ... See full summary » Creator: David, the accountant who has just moved in next door, comes to call on the Perrins,who bore him with their troubles. Reggie tries unsuccessfully to sell his home-made bread at the local farmers' ... 7.0 Reggie resists the board's efforts to make him conform and stalls when told he must sack a staff member,an announcement which sends Anthony and Steve falling over themselves to keep in with their ...

7.0 After setting to work on David's house with a nail-gun,Reggie moves in with Anthony in his chaotic flat and exposes Nicola's infidelity in his best man's speech at his mother's wedding. Groomtech is ... 7.0 a list of 10000 titles created 07 Nov 2012 a list of 42 titles created 10 May 2015 a list of 16 titles created 07 Dec 2015 a list of 220 titles created 5 months ago a list of 112 titles created 4 months ago Search for " Reggie Perrin " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. William and Mary (TV Series 2003) Comedy | Drama | Romance The lives of William (an undertaker) and Mary (a midwife) cross. They become romantically involved, but what happens for the rest of the series is far less predictable.

Stars: Martin Clunes, Julie Graham, Cheryl Campbell Doc Martin (TV Movie 2001) Comedy When an obstetrician learns that his wife has been unfaithful to him with all three of his best mates, he decides to leave London for a short while to think about what to do next. Director: Ben Bolt This comedy series is all about two mates, Gary and Tony who share a two bedroom home. They are grown men who act like a couple of drunk two year olds, who spend their time either drinking ... See full summary » Stars: Martin Clunes, Caroline Quentin, Leslie Ash Doc Martin (TV Series 2004) Comedy | Drama Trials and tribulations of a socially challenged doctor in Cornwall, England Stars: Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz, Ian McNeice BBC Television comedy detailing the fortunes of Reginald Iolanthe Perrin. Disillusioned after a long career at Sunshine Desserts, Perrin goes through a mid-life crisis and fakes his own ... See full summary » Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, John Barron Victor Meldrew is a retiree who attracts bad luck.

If he's not driving his long suffering wife Margeret crazy with his constant moaning, he's fighting with neighbors. Stars: Richard Wilson, Annette Crosbie, Doreen Mantle The Korean War and a long lost letter separate the lives of young lovers Jean and Lionel, whose paths cross again by happenstance. Stars: Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Moira Brooker Richie and Eddie are in charge of the worst hotel in the UK, Guest House Paradiso, neighbouring a nuclear power plant. The illegal immigrant chef has fled and all the guests have gone. But ... See full summary » Director: Adrian Edmondson Edward and Richard are best buddies living off the government doing nothing more than having a good time and breaking stuff. Stars: Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Steven O'Donnell Three old men from Yorkshire who have never grown up face the trials of their fellow town citizens and everyday life and stay young by reminiscing about the days of their youth and attempting feats not common to the elderly. Stars: Peter Sallis, Jane Freeman, Kathy Staff A TV program centered on a soul-searching Swedish cop.

Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Richard McCabe, Jeany Spark Doctor Bamford has had enough of village life and is desperate for some distance from inquisitive Cornish neighbours. When the local estate agent shows him Tregunnt Farm - derelict and ... See full summary » Director: Ben Bolt Edit Storyline Reggie Perrin has a cushy job as head of innovation in a men's body care products firm, but philosophically hates meaningless office life. He's equally unhappy with commuting, his dull marriage, his parents, his colleagues and especially his cry boss Chris. Yet he never does anything about this life, even tends to help his hated significant others out of a pickle. Written by KGF Vissers The series was taped in front of a studio audience. See more » Quotes (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews I've watched this with an open mind as a huge fan of the original and tried to appreciate it on it's own merits however I'm not getting into it. I don't dislike it exactly but it just doesn't really have any impact on me at all.

The only thing keeping watching I think is the gorgeous and charming Lucy Liemann who plays Jasmine and the very cute and adorable Kerry Howard who plays Vicky, Reggie's dopey secretary. Kerry Howard is the only person in the show who has actually made me laugh. So what's wrong with it? The story isn't as relevant as it was in the 1970s. Shows like Reggie Perrin, The Good Life and Butterflies all hit a nerve at the time with people. There must have a great deal of dissatisfaction amongst the middle aged suburbanites of the 1970s. I just don't find Martin Clunes dissatisfaction very believable. It seems forced, this is after all a show about Reggie Perrin and so he has to be dissatisfied. In the original you can really feel Reggie's mounting sense of frustration, boredom and insanity. The point about Reggie Perrin is that he is a man who has everything that society says you have to have and yet he is still bored and dissatisfied. He is driven mad by repetition, banality and the total absence of any kind of uncertainty. He has to create danger and uncertainty in order to make himself feel alive again.

I don't think anybody in the Britain of 2009 could possibly have the luxury of being driven mad by too much security and certainty. A modern day executive is more likely to be driven to desperation by fear, over work and stress. The biggest problem I have with it though is that it just isn't that funny. The script isn't very good, the editing is quite poor and the performances are average. Martin Clune's was on a hiding to nothing trying to step into the shoes of a masterful performer like Leonard Rossiter. I've nothing against Martin Clunes, he's a decent enough comedy actor but he's not one of the greats. It was a brave thing to do and I'm sure they knew they were setting themselves up to be severely criticised, I just wish they had either done it better or not bothered. 13 of 20 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes BBC to remake Reginald Perrin with Martin Clunes in title role - Daily Record Entertainment BBC to remake Reginald Perrin with Martin Clunes in title role CLASSIC sitcom The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin is to be revived this year with Martin Clunes taking the title role, it was confirmed today. Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email CLASSIC sitcom The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin is to be revived this year with Martin Clunes taking the title role, it was confirmed today. The Men Behaving Badly actor will star as Reggie Perrin alongside a cast including Fay Ripley, Wendy Craig, Geoffrey Whitehead, Neil Stuke and Lucy Liemann in the new BBC1 series. Simon Nye, the writer behind Men Behaving Badly, will join the writer and creator of the original 1970s sitcom David Nobbs for the series to be transmitted later this year. The much-loved sitcom originally ran between 1976 and 1979 and starred Leonard Rossiter as a man constantly on the verge of a mid-life crisis but with a vivid imagination.

A follow-up, The Legacy Of Reginald Perrin, was aired in 1996. The BBC said the new series will comprise of six 30 minute episodes. BBC1 controller Jay Hunt said: "I am really excited about Reggie Perrin returning to our screens. "It feels as fresh and sharp now as it did all those years ago. It will be a vital part of our overall comedy offering on the channel." Lucy Lumsden, BBC1 controller, comedy commissioning, added: "To have combined the writing talents of David Nobbs and Simon Nye in a sitcom fronted by Martin Clunes is a dream come true. "Added to which, they have come up with an inspired update, rather than a remake, of one of the greatest, classic comedies of all time." Like us on Facebook "Reggie Perrin" (2009) Author: Jon Formby from England I wasn't aware that the BBC were making a new Reggie Perrin, so this came as a big surprise, but I am pleased to say a pleasant one and so far after five episodes very enjoyable.

Martin Clunes makes for a very different, but equally entertaining Reggie, with excellent support from Fay Ripley as his wife and Neil Stuke as his new boss, and some great turns from Wendy Craig as Reggie's Mum and Geoffrey Whitehead as his wife's father. There are many nods to the old series, but it is just as watchable to newcomers and whilst in many aspects a commuters life (train delays etc) is no different to the 1970's (bowler hats aside) has incorporated modern gadgets and business jargon and trends into the show seamlessly. Lucy Liemann as Jasmine Strauss also adds some excellent support and the target of Reggie's many daydreams! All in all, well worth watching and proving that you can re-make a classic well if you successfully bring it into a modern setting. Congratulations to the BBC, keep up the good work. Was the above review useful to you?

Martin Clunes to take lead role in BBC remake of The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin - Telegraph TV and Radio Martin Clunes to take lead role in BBC remake of The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin Martin Clunes will play the lead role in a remake of the comedy classic The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin this year, the BBC has confirmed. Lucy Lumsden, BBC One controller, comedy commissioning, added: 'To have combined the writing talents of David Nobbs and Simon Nye in a sitcom fronted by Martin Clunes is a dream come true'. Photo: ITV 12:28PM GMT 14 Jan 2009 The Men Behaving Badly actor will star as Reggie Perrin alongside a cast including Fay Ripley, Wendy Craig, Geoffrey Whitehead, Neil Stuke and Lucy Liemann in the new BBC One series. Simon Nye, the writer behind Men Behaving Badly, will join the writer and creator of the original 1970s sitcom David Nobbs for the series to be transmitted later this year.

The much-loved sitcom originally ran between 1976 and 1979 and starred Leonard Rossiter as a man constantly on the verge of a midlife crisis but with a vivid imagination. A follow-up, The Legacy Of Reginald Perrin, was aired in 1996. The BBC said the new series will comprise of six 30 minute episodes. Related Articles 25 Oct 2010 BBC One controller Jay Hunt said: "I am really excited about Reggie Perrin returning to our screens. "It feels as fresh and sharp now as it did all those years ago. It will be a vital part of our overall comedy offering on the channel." Lucy Lumsden, BBC One controller, comedy commissioning, added: "To have combined the writing talents of David Nobbs and Simon Nye in a sitcom fronted by Martin Clunes is a dream come true.

"Added to which, they have come up with an inspired update, rather than a remake, of one of the greatest classic comedies of all time." BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Revival for Reggie Perrin comedy Revival for Reggie Perrin comedy Leonard Rossiter played Reggie, a man on the edge The BBC is to revive classic sitcom The Fall and Rise of Reginal Perrin, with actor Martin Clunes in the title role. Cold Feet actress Fay Ripley and Wendy Craig have also been cast in the show, which will be screened later this year. Men Behaving Badly writer Simon Nye has collaborated with the original show's creator David Nobbs for the new series. The 1970s comedy, which told the story of a businessman driven to the edge by his monotonous life, starred Leonard Rossiter in the main role. Reggie is increasingly driven to surreal flights of fantasy, and begins to say exactly what he thinks. 'Fresh and sharp' He makes erratic excuses to his secretary for arriving late for work, while the mention of his mother-in-law is greeted with a picture of a hippopotamus.

The programme's other characters became renowned for their catchphrases, such as Reggie's boss CJ saying: "I didn't get where I am today by... " Martin Clunes plays a cranky Cornish medic in Doc Martin Another show, The Legacy of Reginald Perrin, was made in 1996, but without the lead character and Rossiter, who died in 1984. Among the stars of the original show were actress Sue Nicholls, who plays Audrey Roberts in Coronation Street and Geoffrey Palmer, who went on to star opposite Dame Judi Dench in gentle comedy As Time Goes By. BBC One controller Jay Hunt said she was "really excited" about the revival of the comedy, adding: "It feels as fresh and sharp now as it did all those years ago." Lucy Lumsden, BBC controller of comedy commissioning, said the new show would be "an inspired update rather than a remake".

She added: "To have combined the writing talents of David Nobbs and Simon Nye in a sitcom fronted by Martin Clunes is a dream come true." Clunes, who was one of the star's of Nye's Men Behaving Badly, has starred in a number of ITV dramas including Doc Martin and The Man Who Lost His Head. Bookmark with: The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (Series) - TV Tropes The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share Series / The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin × YMMV The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin is a British sitcom developed from a series of novels by David Nobbs. The series stars Leonard Rossiter as Reginald "Reggie" Perrin, an advertising executive at Sunshine Desserts. Three seasons of episodes were made under this title; following Rossiter's death, a belated fourth series was made with the remaining cast under the title The Legacy of Reginald Perrin. In the 80s adapted as an American sitcom called Reggie!

with Richard Mulligan in the title role, and more recently remade as Reggie Perrin , with Martin Clunes in the title role. This show provides examples of: All Men Are Perverts : Reginald likes to fantasize about him and his secretary suggestively licking ice cream cones, of making love to her on his desk in the middle of a field, &c.. His doctor spends his downtime looking at porn in his office. All for Nothing : Reggie ends up exactly where he started off; stuck in a cruel and completely nonsensical world that he can no longer stand. Allergic to Routine : Reginald Perrin, whose routine eventually drives him round the bend. He's also allergic to the season-spanning routine of destroying everything he's previously created. Attending Your Own Funeral : Reginald Black Comedy : Although it's farcical and ridiculous, the first series especially is a catalogue of a man in the middle of a nervous breakdown. Camp Gay : Reggie becomes this in a futile effort to shock people who have become used to his eccentricities. Catch Phrase : Many that have entered common usage, especially in business. See Mad Libs Catch Phrase below.

Couch Gag : Similarly to Fawlty Towers , the Sunshine Desserts sign was always humourously dilapidated. Deadpan Snarker : Reggie. "Are you trying to tell me you're providing a valuable social service?" "I'm not trying to tell you, I'm succeeding. If I'd said 'I like squashy bananas' I would have been failing to say 'I am providing a valuable social service', but I didn't say 'I like squashy bananas', I said 'I am providing a valuable social service', thus succeeding brilliantly in saying 'I am providing a valuable social service'." Downer Ending : The series ends with Reggie on his way back to the Dorset coast, possibly to kill himself for real. He survives long enought to appear in a 1982 Boxing day special. The Legacy of Reginald Perrin finally revealed that he did not kill himself, rather he died in a storm, struck by a falling billboard advertising health insurance. Embarrassing Middle Name ; For Reggie 'Iolanthe'. Even worse than being embarrassing, it also makes his initials R.I.P. Every Episode Ending : Every episode of series one (except the last) ends with a despairing scream from Reginald.

Faking the Dead : Spoofed in the opening credits, later played straight. Giftedly Bad : Tom's wine and advertising slogans for Grot. Reggie: "It almost rhymes and scans properly, that's the important thing. This is exactly what I'm paying you for." Tom:: "Thank you. Well, I'll just give you one more, perhaps: 'Grot is the ideal place for gifts, because they're all on one floor, so there aren't any lifts.' They aren't all of that standard, of course." Granola Girl : Reggie's son-in-law, Tom, who distills his own wine, smokes brier pipes, and insists that his children be treated not as children but as "tiny adults". Hurricane of Puns : Reggie is quite fond of these. Hypocritical Humour : "I'm not a petty man..." as Reggie launches into a neurotic tirade about the tea lady refusing to save him a macaroon in 1971.

"I didn't get where I am today by talking in cliches' from CJ CJ: "I didn't get where I am today by [action/behavior]" CJ: "Neither I, nor Mrs CJ, have ever [action]" Jimmy: "Bit of a cock-up on the ____ front" Tom: "I'm not really an ____ person" Madden Into Misanthropy : The premise of the show: Reggie one day decides he has had enough of being polite and trapped in his meaningless world, and starts cultivating an antisocial persona. Malaproper : One of the symptoms of Reggie's rapidly declining mental state. Metaphorgotten : CJ is quite prone to these. "There's no smoke without the worm turning." National Stereotypes : Intentionally invoked and later subverted with Seamus Finnegan, the Irish labourer who Reggie hires as his admin officer in a pub (quaffing Guiness, naturally). A self-confessed hard-drinking lazy gambler, he soon turns out to be hyper-competent , much to Reggie's annoyance.

Not That There's Anything Wrong with That : One of the boss' toadies is Mistaken for Gay after overindulging at a party and does a desperate Not That There's Anything Wrong With That speech, going overboard with panic when he thinks his boss might be reading more into his use of the stock phrase "Some of my best friends are ..." than he intends. Obfuscating Stupidity : Elizabeth, who pretends not to realise that Martin is in fact Reginald. Pragmatic Adaptation : the TV series dropped some of the darker subplots from the books, such as Mark's disappearance, Linda and Jimmy's incestuous affair and the whole "Climthorpe Strangler" strand from the second book. Reluctant Fanservice Girl : Joan, in the book. When she and Reggie were trying to have an affair, the first thing she would do on visiting his house for a rendezvous was undress completely, whereupon Reggie's wife would inevitably turn up and Joan would be forced to spend the rest of the chapter hiding naked in whatever location was available. Toned down in the series, for obvious reasons.

Rule of Three : The very first episode features three days in the life of Perrin; each repeating almost exactly the same incidents with only minor variations. Running Gag : Plenty, often Once an Episode at least. One example is Reggie drifting into an Imagine Spot of a hippo wallowing in mud every time his mother-in-law is mentioned. 18 minutes late, correcting TV Tropes entry, missed 7:15 train, had to wait for 7:30 train. I didn't get where I am today by modifying TV Tropes pages for 40-year-old shows during my lunch hour! Serious Business : The employees of Sunshine Desserts treat the most ludicrous news on various idiotic puddings with complete professionalism. "Well we're beginning to make headway. Some of our mousses are holding their own in the Rhennish Palatinate, and flans are heating up in Schleswig-Holstein." Sexy Secretary : Perrin's secretary, Joan. Reginald thinks so, anyway, and often fantasizes about her with her hair (and more) down. Those Two Guys : Tony and David. Great! Super! Transatlantic Equivalent : VERY briefly adapted into an American sitcom called Reggie!

starring Richard Mulligan in the 80s at some point between his playing Burt on Soap and Dr Westin on Empty Nest . The Unintelligible : Sunshine Desserts' vans are these in the book. The back double doors contain the slogan 'Bring a little Sunshine into your life', with the left door reading 'Bring a suns into yo' and the right door reading 'little hine ur life', but several of the vans had the doors put on the wrong sides, with the result that they read 'little Bring a hine suns ur life into yo'. Violent Glaswegian : Kenny McBlane, the cook from Series Three who is always muttering indeciperable gibberish and almost always weilding something very sharp in his time on-camera. Yes-Man : Whenever Reggie or CJ suggests something, Tony and David respectively say "Great!" and "Super!" :: Indexes :: Interview: Martin Clunes on playing Reggie Perrin - Telegraph TV and Radio Interview: Martin Clunes on playing Reggie Perrin Martin Clunes talks about why he doesn’t care what critics and ‘pedants’ think of his portrayal of a 21st-century Reggie Perrin.

Martin Clunes as Reggie Perrin Photo: BBC By Michael Deacon 11:26AM BST 17 Apr 2009 Martin Clunes doesn’t live in a miserable suburb (he lives on a farm in Dorset with his wife and daughter), nor has he worked in an office, or indeed had anything like what he calls a “drudge-y, commute-y job”. This has presented him with a challenge when he’s had to play people who do. “I used to do it on Men Behaving Badly,” he says. “I had an office in that and it was like, ‘Ooh, what do I do with this?’ Always quite a novelty.” This week Clunes has to play a character whose name is synonymous with the “drudge-y”. He’s playing the title role in BBC One’s new version of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, the 1970s sitcom about a despairing, middle-aged commuter – played, in those days, by Leonard Rossiter. Depending on your point of view, making a new version of Perrin is either brave or nigh-on sacrilegious. Critics and audiences loved the original.

The idea of redoing a classic that was scarcely in need of improvement sounds curious; it’s hard to imagine a remake of, say, Fawlty Towers with Neil Morrissey (“Don’t mention the war! Wahey!”). But its creator and its star insist that they’ve done it with good reason. The new, six-part version, Reggie Perrin, came about after the production company Objective approached David Nobbs, who wrote the original series (and the novels on which they were based), to ask if he’d consider updating the programme for the 21st century. “I asked myself two questions,” says Nobbs, who’s 74. “Does it say something to the modern world, and has enough changed for us to have a new shot at it? And my answer was yes to both.” So on Friday we’ll meet a present-day Perrin who, on his morning train journey to the office, gets irritated by the ubiquity of mp3 players and laptops.

A lot of the jokes about the modern world come not from Nobbs but the co-writer the BBC paired him with, Simon Nye, who is 24 years younger – these days Nobbs lives “down a lane in North Yorkshire with not an office in sight,” he says, so he wanted to work with someone who was “up on the jargon, that sort of thing”. Nye made his name with the Nineties sitcom Men Behaving Badly, like Clunes. When the original Perrin was on, Clunes – now 47 – was still at school. “I remember watching it with excitement because it was considered ‘grown-up’ humour,” he says, “and to watch it was quite an adult thing to do.” He says he isn’t nervous about taking the place of the celebrated Rossiter. “I could only ever do it my way,” he says. “The alternative would be to try to imitate Leonard Rossiter, who was so distinct that people can’t actually separate him from any of the parts he played.

People say to me, ‘Oh, Reggie Perrin, I love that – “My God, Miss Jones!”’ But that’s from Rising Damp.” Clunes’s acting style and looks (“I’m sort of sloppy whereas [Rossiter] was like a whippet”) are not the only things that make the new version different, he says. There’s also the way it portrays women. “In the Seventies, wives were just wives, women were just women – they were either fanciable or annoying,” he says. “That doesn’t wash any more.” But in the first episode of the new version, the women do all appear to be either fanciable or annoying. “But they have an agenda, they have a life, they have a job,” he persists. “They’re not a secretary or a housewife.” As a matter of fact, Clunes’s Perrin has a female secretary (who is cretinously dim) and his wife is a housewife.

Perhaps it’s better not to push Clunes on this point, though, because he doesn’t like pedants (“There are pedants everywhere, but God forbid we should aim for them as an audience”), critics (“Critics will give you a kicking just because you’ve made a programme, in my experience”) or comparisons generally (“Comparisons are always pretty useless, aren’t they?”). He makes these points with a certain ho-ho-ho breeziness, but he doesn’t sound entirely comfortable, especially when asked what he thinks people will make of the new version. “To be honest, I can’t be a---d with all this,” he says. “It’s been the subject of every interview I’ve done. I’m thrilled to do the job, I enjoyed doing it, I’m very proud of it. I’m just not that bothered.” Still, as useless as he finds comparisons in general, Clunes is prepared to make one himself, between the old Perrin and his new one. “I think this one’s funnier,” he says. “There are more jokes. It’s quicker paced.

If you’re measuring comedy by quantity, instead of anything else… But yes, I don’t think it’s as ponderous and melancholic.” So at least viewers know what not to expect. “I won’t have black hair, an undershot lip or an athletic build,” says Clunes. “And I won’t be saying, ‘My God, Miss Jones!’” Reggie Perrin is on BBC One on Friday at 9.30pm Martin Clunes confirmed in lead role in BBC revival of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin | Media | The Guardian Close This article is 8 years old The BBC today confirmed that Martin Clunes will take the title role in the revival of the dark 1970s comedy The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. The actor, who has starred in shows including comedy Men Behaving Badly and ITV1 drama Doc Martin, will be joined by Cold Feet actor Fay Ripley, Wendy Craig, whose credits include Butterflies and The Royal, and Worst Week of My Life's Geoffrey Whitehead.

Clunes - who was originally tipped for the role when the BBC revealed it would bring back the 1970s show last August - will be reunited with the writer behind Men Behaving Badly, Simon Nye, who will pen the new series alongside Perrin creator David Nobbs. BBC1's six-part series, which will be made by Objective, the independent producer behind Peep Show, and air later this year, will retell the story of a sales executive constantly on the verge of a midlife crisis who has a very vivid imagination. Perrin was played by Leonard Rossiter in the three hugely popular original series, which were based on novels by Nobbs and aired between 1976 and 1979. A follow-up series, The Legacy of Reginald Perrin, was made in 1996, 12 years after Rossiter's death.

The BBC1 controller, Jay Hunt, said the revived show "feels as fresh and sharp now as it did all those years ago", adding: "It will be a vital part of our overall comedy offering on the channel." Lucy Lumsden, the BBC controller of comedy commissioning, said: "To have combined the writing talents of David Nobbs and Simon Nye in a sitcom fronted by Martin Clunes is a dream come true. Added to which, they have come up with an inspired update, rather than a remake, of one of the greatest classic comedies of all time." The new show will be executive produced by Simon Wilson for the BBC and Ben Farrell for Objective Productions. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediatheguardian.com or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".

Martin Clunes is raking in a fortune from overseas Doc Martin operations - Mirror Online Martin Clunes is raking in a fortune from overseas Doc Martin operations Actor and his TV producer wife Philippa Braithwaite – whose company makes the programme - earning millions Share Martin Clunes and his wife Philippa (Photo: M. Benett/Getty Images) Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email A GENTLE TV tale of a grumpy ­village doctor is making ­millions for Doc Martin star Martin Clunes, the Sunday People can reveal. The main character’s decent but slightly dopey image belies the fact that Clunes himself is clearly a sharp businessman. Fans here are delighted the Doc’s ­adventures in the fictional Cornish village of Portwenn are back with a sixth series. Yet few realise the show is not a quiet telly ­backwater – but a global phenomenon. It has been sold to more than 70 ­countries. Seven of the biggest are France, Germany, Spain, Holland, Greece, Poland and Russia, where they are all busy ­filming local versions with their own Doc, Doktor or Docteur.

Add to that the inevitable DVD and other box sets, pens, mugs and fridge ­magnets sold around Port Isaac, where the series is shot, and the massive scale of the worldwide Doc Martin industry becomes clear. All this has made multi-millionaires of Clunes and his TV producer wife Philippa Braithwaite – owners of the production company that makes the programme. All the foreign versions follow the basic original ­format. Middle-aged big-city surgeon Martin Ellingham develops a fear of blood and leaves for a new career as a GP in the ­village where he grew up. He has a difficult ­relationship with the ­attractive local school teacher Louisa, played in the ITV series by Caroline Catz, 42. The doc ­diagnoses her with bad breath and glaucoma. Despite this she still likes him – although the relationship does not go exactly swimmingly. They jilt each other at the altar, have a baby then get unhappily married. The show also has a ripe collection of other characters and these appear in some form in the overseas versions. Doc has an Aunt Joan, who treats him like her son.

And he has to deal with a dim local policeman, a lazy ­receptionist, a pharmacist in a neck brace and fat plumber Bert Large, who wears a dirty woollen hat. Then there are the curiously obscure diseases of the local yokels, who he tends not to like very much. Doc Martin and Louisa Glasson get married (Photo: ITV) But although the foreigners follow the Clunes version closely, there are a range of “cultural” differences. For instance the Greek series features rather more pretty girls in bikinis than Doc Martin would encounter in Portwenn. The Spanish version has been given a theme tune in a soft-rock style. And of course none of the doctors has quite the same spectacular ears as Clunes. He said: “I’ve seen little bits of them. The Spanish one is quite smart. The French show has sort of overtaken us – but they’re not allowed to have another child or do anything radical that we haven’t done. They have to have the same plots. “The Germans were the first to do it and they bought our music as well. They sort of did it shot for shot.

“In this country Doc Martin is seen as a very middle-of-the-road mainstream programme, although there are other things in there if you’re looking. “But people abroad see this very strange little morsel from another country. It’s exotic.” Clunes, who married second wife Philippa in 1997 and has a daughter Emily, born in 1999, was already an established star when Doc Martin came along. He was Gary in the sitcom Men Behaving Badly from 1992 to 1998. In 2009 he played the title role in a Reggie Perrin remake. There were fears the current series of Doc Martin might be the final curtain. But Clunes said he hopes to make a seventh. And there’s good news for Doc Martin fans in Iran. The star revealed his show is about to be made there for a modern Persian audience. It is not known if there are plans for a version in strict Arab countries such as Saudi.

Clunes, 51, smiled and said: “Presumably none of the female ­characters would be allowed to speak, or drive, or go to school, or work.” And how could they have an uppity teacher as the Doc’s love interest? Here we give you the lowdown on all the foreign settings of the various Doc Martins – and have a spot of fun with the scripts their ­local writers just might come up with... FRANCE TITLE: Doc Martin. THE DOC: Dr Martin Le Foll winds up in the ­fictional Breton town of Port Garrec, twinned with Portwenn. He looks a bit like Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. HIS GIRLFRIEND: Blonde Julie Derville, who despite having the looks of an international supermodel is in fact a ­village school teacher. THE EXTRAS: Aunt Jeanne, policeman Mario who jumps out wearing a balaclava, and, yes, an obsessed pharmacist in a neck brace who Doc has no idea is secretly in love with him. TYPICAL SCENE: Docteur Martin enters ­pharmacy and wonders if any of his patients are Seine. Female pharmacist: Ooh la la, Docteur!

You are so ‘andsome, I zink. Doc (grumpily): Enough of zis flattery. Get me something for le gripe. Zose garlic snails I had last night are giving me le gyp somezing terrible. I ‘ave a oui problem. Female pharmacist: You ‘ave nuzzing for eet in ze clinic? Doc: Nuzzing for EET? I am not even ‘ungry. GERMANY TITLE: Doktor Martin. THE DOC: Dr Martin Helling, a ­vascular surgeon from Berlin who… fear of blood... quaint fishing village… you get the drift. It even has the same theme tune as the UK original. He is a bit of a sauerkraut. HIS GIRLFRIEND: Blonde teacher Thea. Strangely, she doesn’t seem to mind when female patients unbutton their blouses and the Doktor asks them: “What are those?” THE EXTRAS: Fat plumber Gert, who wears a dirty woollen hat. A dim policeman, a lazy receptionist, and the doc’s Aunt Alma. At one point the doc tries to trick a dog into jumping over a cliff, then kicks it in a rage.

Wouldn’t happen in Portwenn. Actually, in the German version the village is real-life Neuharlingersiel in East Frisia. TYPICAL SCENE: Doktor Martin ­enters pharmacy and says: Did ­somebody dial Nein, Nein, Nein? Female pharmacist: Mein Gott, Doktor, you’re looking wurst than ever. Vy is zis? Doc: I hef been walking mein sausage dog. Am I tired? Pharmacist: I vill ask ze questions. A word in your schnell-like? Is it true zat your father scored three goals for Germany in ze Vorld Cup? Doc: Ja. It vos a Gerry-atric. Kicks dog off cliff, shouting, How’s that for Das Boot? GREECE TITLE: Kliniki Periptosi (Clinical Cases). THE DOC: Markos Staikos is a surgeon from New York who…yep, you got it, moves to a quaint Greek fishing village. HIS GIRLFRIEND: Pretty brunette Andrianna, who he leers at as she wades out of the sea in a bikini, Ursula Andress-style. He’s 30 years older if a day.

THE EXTRAS: Scruffy taverna owner Panos, dopey plod Lambros, and a host of Greek women. Many of them seem to end up in bed with the grumpy doctor (the women, that is). TYPICAL SCENE: Doc Markos enters the taverna. Barman: Kalimera, Doctor! Business is very bad, no loadsamoney. Doc: (smashes plate). At the surgery. Pharmacist: Doc, the ­villagers are going to riot unless they get a bail-out. What shall we do? Doc: (smashes plate). Eureka! TITLE: Dokter Tinus. THE DOC: Dr Martinus Elsenboch, a man with a fringe. What more do you need to know? HIS GIRLFRIEND: Lisa, a teacher and the only redhead in Holland. THE EXTRAS: Bert, a fat plumber, Aunt Jannie, a pharmacist in a neck brace, a lazy ­receptionist, and Ken the policeman. Being Dutch, Ken is allowed to have hair down to his shoulders. TYPICAL SCENE: Flat terrain. Tulips. A windmill. Doc Martinus enters a bar.

Doc: My canal is clogged with small furry animals. Barman: Well, this is Hamsterdam. SPAIN TITLE: Doctor Mateo. THE DOC: Bearded surgeon Mateo Sancristobal ­develops a blood ­phobia while working in New York and returns to his village in Spain, where he becomes the local ­doctor. Grumpy. THE GIRLFRIEND: Brunette school teacher Adriana, who seduces him by filling the house with candles then ripping his shirt off. Olé! THE EXTRAS: Aunt Juana, who is in a marriage of ­convenience with a Nigerian sailor. Tom, who runs the local bar but used to be an Argentinian rock star. Dim policeman Alfredo (catchphrase, “The rules are the rules and they must be obeyed”). TYPICAL SCENE: Doc Mateo enters a tapas bar. Female drinker: ¡Hola, Doc! ¿Off to the ­bullfight? Doc leaves, saying: ¡Caramba! You know I faint at ze sight of blood. His clinic receptionist: ¡Hola, Doc! I’m off for my siesta. Manuel, a patient: ¡Hola, Doc!

My heart ­pacemaker has stopped working. Doc: Try using ze instruction Manuel. Like us on Facebook

Question: In the 2009 remake of "Reggie Perrin" who played the title role?
Answer: (Martin) CLUNES